SACANIME is being held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday August – 29th – 31st, 2014 at the Sacramento Convention Center and Sheraton Grand Hotel. For more information, check out our website at: www.sacanime.com

MARK SHEPPARD

Mark Sheppard was born in London, England and began his film career in Jim Sheridan’s “In The Name Of The Father” playing Guildford Four member ‘Paddy Armstrong’ alongside Daniel Day-Lewis. An accomplished musician, he has recorded and played drums for The T.V. Personalities, Nikki Sudden, Robyn Hitchcock, The Barracudas, Light A Big Fire, School Of Fish and They Eat Their Own, among others. On stage, he has won several theatre awards, including The 1992 Drama Critic’s Circle Outstanding Achievement Award for his performance in “A Cock & Bull Story”. He may be best known for his television work, as Romo Lampkin in “Battlestar Galactica”, Badger in Joss Whedon’s “Firefly”, Ivan Erwich in Day 5 of “24”, plus roles on “The X-Files”, “CSI”, “Star Trek: Voyager” and a host of other characters in film and television. Sheppard currently plays ‘Jim Sterling’ opposite Timothy Hutton on TNT’s “Leverage”, the Director of The Ring Organization in NBC’s “Chuck”, the Demon ‘Crowley’ in “Supernatural” for the CW, mysterious operative ‘Mr. Valda’ in SyFy’s “Warehouse 13”, and now Canton Everett Delaware III in the sixth season of the BBC’s “Doctor Who”. He has lent his voice to various video games and commercials as well, from “The Conduit” to “Dragon Age: Origins” and Bear Grylls’ “Man vs. Wild”.

RODGER BUMPASS

Emmy-nominated for the voice of Squidward on SpongeBob Squarepants, Rodger has been in acting for 38 years, and he’s going to keep on ’til he gets it right. In addition to Squidward, he was the voice of Professor Membrane in ‘Invader Zim’, Dr. Light in ‘Teen Titans’, Hanover Fyst in the cult favorite ‘Heavy Metal’. He has also provided various voices in many Disney and Pixar featured animated movies like ‘A Bug’s Life’, ‘Monsters Inc.’, ‘Cars’, ‘Finding Nemo’, ‘Treasure Planet’, ‘Emperor’s New Groove’, and more recently, ‘Monsters University’. He began his career with the National Lampoon Magazine, touring the USA and falling down in the stare a lot (on purpose). He likes kitty cats and long walks on the beach, where falling doesn’t hurt as much. If you pass him in the hallway, just say “Do the voice, please,” and he will gladly comply… for the nominal price of $2.37. Cash only. He does take IOUs if they involve a kiss from a pretty girl.

J MICHAEL TATUM

Discovered by Funimation warhorse and visionary ADR director Christopher Bevins, who cast him as Rikichi in 2005’s Samurai 7, Tatum’s inexplicable luck has held long enough to see his flag hoisted on a slew of dream roles, most notably Kyoya Otori in the hit English language dub of Ouran High School Host Club, suave, demonic Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler and the equal parts maniacal/vulnerable Okarin Rintarou from Steins;Gate. Other characters the man still can’t believe he’s had the crazy good fortune to play include: Doumeki in XXXHolic, Jiro Mochizuki in Black Blood Brothers, Isaac Dian in Baccano!, Both God Eneru and Dalton in the new dub of One Piece, Komui Lee in D-Gray Man, Dororo in Sgt. Frog, the titular loveable savage of Heroic Age, Ryosuke Takahashi in Initial D, Lawrence Kraft in Spice and Wolf, Zarbon in Dragon Ball Z Kai, Scar in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Sir Hammerlock in the videogame juggernaut Borderlands 2. His vocal “stylings,” much to the chagrin of drama teachers everywhere, he’s sure, have also been featured in Romeo X Juliet, Speed Grapher, Trinity Blood, Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, Black Cat, Nabari no Ou, Ghost Hunt, School Rumble, The Tower of Druaga, Aquarion, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, Shuffle, Shigurui, Glass Fleet, Mushishi, Soul Eater, along with feature-length films such as Vexille, Summer Wars, and Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker, among many others.

And as if being involved with so many awesome shows wasn’t enough, in late 2007 the fluky so-and-so tempted fate by officially branching out into ADR directing and adaptive scriptwriting for Funimation as well. His ADR directing credits to date include Aquarion, Jyu-oh-Sei, Romeo X Juliet, Big Windup, Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne and Shikabane Hime (Corpse Princess), while his writing credits include substantial work on Ouran High School Host Club, Heroic Age, Initial D, Blassreiter, Ga Rei: Zero, Hero Tales, Legend of the Legendary Heroes, Fractale, Deadman Wonderland, Steins;Gate and Dragon Ball Z Kai.

In early 2010 he teamed up with Terri Doty and Stephen Hoff to launch That Anime Show, a web-based chat show centered on colorful, often diabolically unhinged interviews with friends and colleagues within the dubbing industry, all episodes of which can be downloaded for free at www.thatanimeshow.com

Ever the workaholic, Tatum is currently burning the midnight oil on a number of exciting projects due for release later this year. And before you ask, the “J” stands for… Well, it stands for whatever you’d like it to.

NOAH WATTS

When Noah Watts was 9 years old, his uncle gave him a Crow name. He said, “I am going to name you, Bulaagawish, Old Bull.” His uncle put his hand on Noah’s shoulder and continued. “That’s the name Chief Plenty Coups gave your grandfather. The name refers to the buffalo bull that leads the herd. That name has good things associated with it.”

A member of the Crow tribe and descendent of the Blackfeet nation, Noah Watts grew up in Bozeman, Montana, but each summer Noah goes home to the Crow reservation to camp at Crow fair with his extended family. Excelling in baseball, basketball, golf, tennis, and skateboarding as a boy, Noah also learned to ride horses, fly fish, and snowboard living in the Rockies. As part of his connection to his Native culture, Noah has been a traditional Crow war dancer since he was 6 years old, occasionally competing in contests but more often dancing for pleasure at pow pows. He is also an accomplished guitarist.

Noah has been acting on stage since fifth grade when he played the Scarecrow in a school production of Oz. In high school Noah began developing and refining his acting skills in a variety of roles that culminated in the part of John Proctor in The Crucible. Noah also worked on his acting craft in the forum of high school speech and debate contests, putting the capstone on his high school acting career by representing Montana at the National Forensic League National Tournament. His performance of the dramatic monologue “Gas” by Jose Rivera in front of 1,500 people earned him fourth place in the national tournament. High school dramatics was a catalyst for Noah’s acting career. As a high school senior, Noah acted in two independent feature films. First, Noah was cast in The Slaughter Rule, playing Waylon Walks Along, a teenage Blackfeet youth. Just a few months later he landed a second role as Herbie Yellow Lodge in the feature film Skins directed by Chris Eyre. Portraying the son of an alcoholic father (Graham Greene), Noah had the third lead part and shared scenes with Native actors Greene and Eric Schweig. It was then Noah began to dream of a career in film. Noah graduated from high school and won a scholarship to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. After one semester at AADA, Noah was offered a part in a new Chris Eyre film entitled Skinwalkers, playing a teenage gang leader and suspected murderer, a role far different from the shy, devoted son he played in Skins. The following summer in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, he performed the lead in the Southwest Repertory Company’s production of The Indolent Boys written by N. Scott Momaday. Other projects included an appearance on Literary Stages on KCRW in Los Angeles, reading a piece by W. P. Kinsella. And in the Spring of 2005 Noah was cast in an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, entitled Kino and Teresa. He played the fierce villain Eladio (Tybalt in the original play).

Beginning with a role in the series, Sons of Anarchy, in 2009, Noah turned to television. Subsequently he acted in episodes of Native Century (2010), The Glades (2010), Big Love (2010), CSI Miami (2011), and Ringer (2012). Most recently Noah was cast as the main protagonist, Connor Kenway, in the Assassin’s Creed Three video game set during the time period of the American Revolution. Noah provides voice and motion capture for half-Mohawk and half-British, Kenway.

When Crows bestow a name, they also bestow a wish, a prayer for the name’s recipient. Noah’s uncle wished for Noah to lead a life of distinction that would be a credit to the Crow people. Noah has a name to live up to and a destiny to follow. Noah is currently living in Los Angeles and working towards fulfilling his dream.

ROGER CRAIG SMITH

Fan favorite animation & video game voice actor Roger Craig Smith is known as the current voice behind Chris Redfield in the Resident Evil series (Resident Evil 5, 6, Marvel vs Capcom 3), as Ezio Auditore da Firenze in the Assassin’s Creed games, as the current English voice of Sega mascot Sonic The Hedgehog (also in Wreck-It Ralph), as the current voice of Captain America in Ultimate Spider-Man and Avengers Assemble, as the voice of Thomas from the Regular Show TV series, and The Pulverizer in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV Series).
Roger also supplied the voice of Deidara in “Naruto: Shippuden”, Temujin in “Naruto: The Legend of the Stone of Gelel.” Roger’s Naruto series characters include the creepy Raiga Kurosuke, smooth-talker Idate Morino, Dan, and many others. In the video game “Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2,” Roger voiced both Bando and Towa. In the anime series “Code Geass,” he voices the uptight Gilbert G.P. Guilford. Roger played the role of Prince Phillip, in the Disney DVD “Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams. He voiced Curtis Miller in the animated movie “Resident Evil: Degeneration.” Other gaming credits include Apsel in “Too Human,” Runt in “Chicken Little: Ace in Action,” and Harrison Pike in “Medal of Honor: Vanguard.” He’s voiced characters in “Mad World,” “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots,” “CSI:NY The Game,” Duke in “GI Joe: Rise of Cobra” “Afro Samurai: The Game,” “Fracture,” “Turning Point: Fall of Liberty,” and Digimon World Data Squad.” He narrated Say Yes to the Dress” on TLC and “Yard Crashers” on the DIY Network.
Roger Craig Smith voiced Wings Around the Globe air-racing champion “Ripslinger” in Disney’s “Planes”. October 25 saw the release of one of the most anticipated games of 2013, the follow up to Batman: Arkham City, which features Roger Craig Smith as the voice of the Caped Crusader himself… BATMAN!

JOHNNY YONG BOSCH

Johnny got his start as Adam Park, the Black Ranger in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers-a role that he played for three-and-a-half seasons on TV, two motion pictures and two special guest appearances in subsequent seasons.
Johnny is also well-known for voice acting work in numerous anime titles, including Vash the Stampede in Trigun, Kaneda in Akira, Renton in Eureka Seven, Claus in Last Exile, Sakaki in Witch Hunter Robin, Kiba in Wolf’s Rain, Itsuki in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Ichigo Kurosaki in Bleach, Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass, Izaya in Durarara, and Yukio in Blue Exorcist.

Johnny’s voice can also be heard in numerous video games, including Nero in Devil May Cry 4 and voiceover work in titles like .hack//G.U., Persona 4, Disgaea 3, Tales of Symphonia, Eternal Sonata, Transformers: War for Cybertron, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Johnny will be appearing at SacAnime Summer 2013 for a free concert Friday and Saturday nights with his band Eyeshine! This four piece “edge rock” band, formed in West Hills, California, features Johnny and bandmates Maurice, Polo and Ginny!

SAM RIEGEL

SAM RIEGEL is a voice actor, director and writer who has voiced hundreds of popular cartoons, video games and anime series. Notable roles include Donatello in the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series, Shiro Emiya in Fate/Stay Night, Viral in Gurren Lagann, Teddie in Persona 4: The Animation, Mephisto in Blue Exorcist, Array in Lagrange, Kiyotsugu in Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan and his current role as Riven in Nickelodeon’s Winx Club. Video game characters include Peter Parker/Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man, Starscream in Transformers: War for Cybertron & Fall of Cybertron, Steve Burnside in Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, and everyone’s favorite attorney, Phoenix Wright in the upcoming Phoenix Wright 5. Between acting gigs, Sam has written scripts for Naruto, Bleach, Tiger & Bunny, and video games like ModNation Racers. He’s also voice directed major game releases, among them Fallout: New Vegas (in which he also played several voices). Currently, Sam serves as the voice director for Disney’s Sofia The First cartoon series, which recently ranked as the #1 preschool debut in cable television history.These days you can catch Sam co-hosting a drunken podcast with Liam O’Brien called “All Work No Play” and providing many voices to Geek & Sundry’s “Fetch Quest” web series. Follow Sam on twitter at @samriegel.

YURI LOWENTHAL

Born with a D20 in one hand and a six-gun in the other, Yuri Lowenthal is a writer, actor and producer. He has had recurring roles on Gilmore Girls and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as well as lead roles in video games Dragon Age, Prince of Persia, Fallout and many more. Best known for his voice acting work in such roles as Sasuke (Naruto), Superman (Legion of Superheroes), Jinno/Kuma (Afro Samurai), Lagoon Boy (Young Justice) and Ben Tennyson (Ben 10: Alien Force/Utimate Alien/Omniverse) as well as popular VG titles including the Persona series, .//hack series, Saints Row series and lots of anime. He has appeared in one incarnation or another in possibly every CoD title since Big Red One. He also co-authored Voice-Over Voice Actor: What It’s Like Behind the Mic with Tara Platt which is available through Bug Bot Press.Yuri is currently in post-production on his production company’s second feature film, the mockumentary Con Artists. And his irreverent award-winning web comedy Shelf Life, about 4 action figures on a young boy’s shelf, is now in its fourth season.

TARA PLATT

Actress, author, producer and business woman, Tara’s traveled the globe as a speaker, attending conventions, and has also performed internationally in film, TV, animation and theatre. Some of her on-screen credits include TV: Revenge, Parenthood, Castle, The Gilmore Girls, and Hawaii Five-0; FILM: The Call; A Girl, A Guy, A Space Helmet (she’s so proud of this indie award-winner); Time & Tide; I’m Through With White Girls. She also co-produced and starred in the award-winning feature film Tumbling After, mockumentary Con Artists and irreverent web-comedy Shelf Life (now in its 4th season) with Yuri Lowenthal and their production company Monkey Kingdom Productions. In the world of voice work she’s worked on numerous video games, animation titles and more, including: (Wonder Woman – DC VS MK), (Dream Girl – Legion of Superheroes), (Temari – Naruto), (Jennifer Nocturne – Ben 10), (Agnes – Tiger & Bunny)(Eastern European Player – Saints Row: The Third), (Marida Cruz – Gundam Unicorn) (Ellie Martinez – Resistance: Burning Skies).

CHRISTINE CABANOS

When it comes to animation and video games, Christine is a fan at heart. Her passion for the culture led her to pursue her voice-acting career. Her breakout role came as Azusa Nakano of “K-On!”. Christine has since earned roles including Haruka in “Oblivion Island”, Filia in “Skullgirls”, Nepgear in the “Hyperdimension Neptunia” series, Keina Sawaya in “Atelier Meruru”, roles in video games such as “Time and Eternity”, “Ragnarok Online 2”, the Princess in “Redline”, the titular character of Squid Girl in “Squid Girl”, Minawa Ando in “Mahoromatic OVA : I’m Home”, Sarah in “Rozen Maiden Overture”, Michi Kondo in “Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne”, Ruka Asato in “Accel World”, Madoka Kaname in “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”, Shiemi Moriyama in “Blue Exorcist”, Silica in “Sword Art Online” and Reina and Mew in “Pokemon Origins”.

CRISTINA VEE

Cristina Vee is a voice actress from Los Angeles, CA. Since getting her first large anime roles in 2007, Cristina has voiced over 100 characters in both animation and video games. Anime fans know her Mio Akiyama in K-ON!, Alisa Bosconovitch in Tekken Blood Vengeance, Homura Akemi in Madoka Magica, Louise in The Familiar of Zero, and Morgiana in Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, to name a few.On the video game scene she is popular for her voice work as Noel Vermillion and the Murakumo Units in the Blazblue series, Compa in the Neptunia series, Lian Shi in Dynasty Warriors, Cerebella in Skullgirls, and Riven the Exile in League of Legends. Beyond voice acting she has a large YouTube following for her singing. She provides vocals to songs in Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage!? and Shantae: Half Genie Hero. She currently casts and directs Skullgirls and is recognizable to eSports fans for hosting IGN’s IPL 4 and 5.

EYESHINE

Formed in 2004 by frontman Johnny Yong Bosch and Maurice Salmin, Eyeshine is an Edge Rock band hailing from Los Angeles, CA. Their third album, “My Paper Kingdom” features their award winning song “Alone,” whose honest and simple lyrics made a connection to a steadily growing fan base in 2009. They continued to Self Produce albums making their latest edgier album “Revolution Airwaves” and acoustic album “Like Yesterday,” 10 albums on their Discography.

Eyeshine won the worldwide Ford sponsored competition “Gimme The Gig II” in May 2012. They recorded and filmed a single with the Legendary Don Was (7 time Grammy Award winning Producer – Rolling Stones, Elton John, John Mayer, etc) and Krish Sharma (Producer/Engineer – Hilary Duff, Jesse McCarney, etc) out of the “Ford Focus Studio.” Which is a recording studio built into a Ford Focus by “Mad” Mike (Pimp My Ride). The one-hour special special aired on west coast television (KTLA, KTVU, and KICU).

Please check out their concert and bring a friend or two-hundred.
If you end up not liking them, feel free to throw Money, Peanut M&Ms, and Haribo Gummy Bears at them.
Or you can shower them with Vitamin Water, Red Bull and sugar-free Red Bull.

THE SLANTS

Portland’s The Slants are the first and only all-Asian American dance rock band in the world. They offer up catchy dance beats, strong hooks, and a bombastic live show that is “not to be missed” (The Westword). The Willamette Week says “While the band may well be best experienced live, Slants releases always promise a few blistering, note-perfect singles.” The music is the perfect combination of 80’s driven synth pop with hard-hitting indie, floor-filling beats which fans affectionately dub as “Chinatown Dance Rock.”

17 international tours, including appearances in 46 of 50 U.S states, have led to headlining showcases at major festivals such as SXSW, MusicfestNW, San Diego Comic-Con, Dragon Con. The band has also tour/provided support for The Decemberists, Mindless Self Indulgence, Girl Talk, Apl.De.Ap (of Black Eyed Peas), Blindpilot and Shonen Knife. In 2011, The Slants worked with the Department of Defense for a series of shows at U.S and NATO bases in Eastern Europe, dubbed “Operation Gratitude.”

Two of their recent music videos feature martial arts choreography by Sammo Hung (The Matrix, Ip Man, & Enter the Dragon) and international stars Daniel Wu and Shu Qi.

Whether rocking music halls, anime conventions, maximum-security prisons, colleges, or army bases, it’s clear that The Slants’ infectious brand of “so damn good” music will leave you wanting more (MRU Magazine)

Anime Boston is proud to announce five new Guests of Honor for the 2014 convention! Please join us in welcoming Wendee Lee, Kyle Hebert, Cristina Vee, Patrick Seitz, and Tom Wayland!

Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly known in anime. With 240 credits to her name, she is one of the most prolific English voice-over actresses in history.

Cristina Vee is a voice actress from Los Angeles, CA. Since getting her first large anime roles in 2007, Cristina has voiced over 100 characters in both animation and video games. Anime fans know her Mio Akiyama in K-ON!, Alisa Bosconovitch in Tekken Blood Vengeance, Homura Akemi in Madoka Magica, Louise in The Familiar of Zero, and Morgiana in Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, to name a few.

Patrick Seitz’s anime roles include Franky in One Piece, Sky High in Tiger & Bunny, Germany in Hetalia, Agil in Sword Art Online, Senji in Deadman Wonderland, Simon in Durarara, Laxus in Fairy Tail, Sloth in FMA: Brotherhood, JP in Redline, Agni in Black Butler, Motochika Chosokabe in Sengoku Basara, Nekozawa in Ouran High School Host Club, Isshin Kurosaki in Bleach, and Grimmer in Monster.

Tom Wayland is proud to have made a long and successful career out of his most favorite things – acting, directing, and making raucous, loud rock and roll music. Tom has produced and/or directed hundreds of anime programs such as Now & Then, Here & There, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Alien Nine, The World of Narue, Ichi the Killer, Mew Mew Power, Magical Do Re Mi, GI Joe, and currently serves as the voice director on the hit series Pokemon.

About Anime Boston:
Anime Boston is an annual three-day Japanese animation convention held in Boston, Mass. Anime Boston 2014 is scheduled for Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23 at the Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston Hotel. More information about Anime Boston can be found at www.animeboston.com.

About New England Anime Society:
The New England Anime Society was founded in 2001. Based in Massachusetts, The New England Anime Society, Inc. is an organization dedicated to furthering public education and understanding of the Japanese language and culture through visual and written media. More information about The New England Anime Society is available at www.neanime.org.

Comments Off on UPDATED: Viz Media Brings the Star of Naruto to New York Anime Festival 2011

Viz Media announced last week at Comic-Con International that they are bringing voice actress Junko Takeuchi to the New York Comic Con and Anime Festival! Takeuchi is best-known for her work as the voice of Naruto Uzumaki — lead character in the Naruto franchise — as well as roles including Gon Freecss in Hunter x Hunter, Mamoru Endo in Inazuma Eleven, Metabee in Medabots, and Gomamon in Digimon. At the New York Anime Festival, Takeuchi will speak at a Q&A session and dedicate time to autographing, both public signings for general attendees and reserved autographing for NYAF VIPs. Her appearance will culminate in the introduction to the US premiere of the feature film Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds.

VOICE ACTRESS JUNKO TAKEUCHI – THE JAPANESE VOICE OF NARUTO – COMES TO NEW YORK ANIME FEST

Ms. Takeuchi To Premiere New Naruto Shippuden Film At Anime Event During New York Comic Con

Norwalk, CT, August 1, 2011: The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) and VIZ Media are proud to announce the Japanese voice of titular character Naruto Uzumaki in the global anime phenomenonNaruto and Naruto Shippuden — Junko Takeuchi — is coming to this October’s New York Anime Festival. The New York Anime Festival will take place October 13-16, 2011 at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan as part of the sixth annual New York Comic Con (NYCC). NYCC, which attracted 96,000 attendees in 2010, celebrates comics, television, movies, toys, games, and the popular arts from around the planet. NYCC’s Anime Festival shines a specific spotlight on anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. NYCC has already announced guests including Kevin Smith, Felicia Day, and Robert Kirkman.

VIZ Media officially announced Ms. Takeuchi’s attendance at the New York Anime Festival on Friday, July 22nd as part of VIZ Media’s 25th Anniversary Panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, CA. Ms. Takeuchi will take part in a panel and signings at NYAF, and will introduce the U.S. premiere of the motion picture Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds at a VIZ Media event (details forthcoming). Ms. Takeuchi’s travel is provided by American Airlines.

Junko Takeuchi, a prolific voice actress (or seiyuu), originally hails from Saitama, Japan and has earned a large following internationally for her portrayal of Naruto Uzumaki — lead character in the Narutofranchise — and is also well-known for roles including Gon Freecss in Hunter x Hunter, Mamoru Endo in Inazuma Eleven, Metabee in Medabots, and Gomamon in Digimon. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens with more than 100 million copies in circulation to-date. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) and animated counterpart (Naruto rated ‘T’ for Teens, and Naruto Shippuden rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens) are among VIZ Media’s most successful properties and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe, and South America.

At the New York Anime Festival, Takeuchi will speak on a panel and dedicate time to autographing, both public signings for general attendees and reserved autographing for NYAF VIPs. Her appearance will culminate in the introduction of the U.S. premiere of Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds. In the feature film, a group of mysterious flying ninja have arrived from overseas to launch a sudden attack against the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving behind a wake of destruction. The group is revealed to be the “Sky Ninja” from the Land of Sky, a nation thought to have been destroyed by the Hidden Leaf Village long ago. To save their village, Naruto and his friends set out to stop this new threat. During the course of the mission, Naruto crosses paths with Sasuke, his friend who has parted ways from the Leaf Village.

“The New York Anime Festival is honored welcome Junko Takeuchi to New York City,” NYAF and NYCC Show Manager Lance Fensterman said. “VIZ Media is responsible for the biggest manga and anime series in America, Naruto and Naruto Shippuden being among them, and we’re very excited to partner together to bring the voice of Naruto together with her fans in NYC. Of course, while we’reexcited, our attendees will be absolutely, entirely thrilled.”

For more information on Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, please visit Naruto.viz.com.

Details around all of NYAF’s Naruto events and its full schedule will be announced later this summer. Tickets are available at www.newyorkcomiccon.com now. For the latest information, please follow @ny_anime_fest and @ny_comic_con on Twitter as well as read NYAF and NYCC’s official blog, www.mediumatlarge.net.

ABOUT VIZ MEDIA, LLC:

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan’s largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like Naruto, Bleach and InuYasha, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL:

The New York Anime Festival is a celebration of Japanese popular culture from the creators of New York Comic Con. NYAF conducts, promotes and is involved in anime and Japanese cultural activities year-round in New York City, including events at Kinokuniya Bookstore, Japan Society, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Sakura Matsuri. Our flagship event is the New York Anime Festival at New York Comic Con. Taking place at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan on October 13-16, 2011, the New York Anime Festival at New York Comic Con showcases the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music and games as well as anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival features exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia and America, and explores the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life. (www.newyorkanimefestival.com)

ABOUT NEW YORK COMIC CON:

New York Comic Con is the East Coast’s biggest and most exciting popular culture convention. Our show floor plays host to the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Our panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators. Our screening rooms feature sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either big or small screens. And with dedicated professional hours, New York Comic Con is a market place, bringing together the major players in the entertainment industry. New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture convention in America and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media, and licensing capital of the world — Gotham City.(www.newyorkcomiccon.com)

ABOUT REEDPOP:

ReedPOP is a boutique group within Reed Exhibitions which is exclusively devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium brands in the pop culture arena. ReedPOP is dedicated to producing celebrations of popular culture throughout the world that transcend ordinary events by providing unique access and dynamic personal experiences for consumers and fans. The ReedPOP portfolio includes: New York Comic Con (NYCC), Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) East & West, Star Wars Celebration, New York Anime Festival (NYAF), Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC), and UFC Fan Expo. The staff at ReedPOP is a fan based group of professionals producing shows for other fans, thus making them uniquely qualified to service those with whom they share a common passion. ReedPOP is focused on bringing its expertise and knowledge to world communities in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.